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Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy | Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel

God Is No Delusion: A Refutation of Richard Dawkins | Thomas Crean, O.P.

Socrates Meets Descartes | Peter Kreeft

Sermon in a Sentence: Saint Thomas Aquinas | John McClernon

New Outpourings of the Spirit | Joseph Ratzinger

Meet Henri De Lubac | Rudolf Voderholzer

Marian Devotion in the Domestic Church | Catherine & Peter Fournier

Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology | Maximilian Heinrich Heim

The Greek Fathers: Their Lives and Adventures | Adrian Fortescue

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Letter to the Hebrews | Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch

Chastity, Poverty and Obedience | Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.

The Blessing of Christmas | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Chance or Purpose?: Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith | Chrisoph Cardinal Schšnborn

Island of the World: A Novel | Michael O'Brien

The Order of Things | James V. Schall, S.J.

The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand | Paul Kengor & Patricia Clark Doerner

Seek that Which is Above | Pope Benedict XVI

Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church | Pope Benedict XVI

God and His Image: An Outline of Biblical Theology | Dominique Barthelemey

An Invitation to Faith: An A to Z Primer on the Thought of Pope Benedict XVI | Pope Benedict XVI

Mother Benedict: Foundress of the Abbey of Regina Laudis | Antoinette Bosco

Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age | Vincent Twomey

Ronald Knox as Apologist: Wit, Laughter and the Popish Creed | Fr. Milton Walsh

Christians in China: A.D. 600-2000 | Jean Charbonnier

  Last Days' Lore

Review of Michael O'Brien's A Cry of Stone
National Catholic Register, July 2004


by Ann Applegarth


If you've read any or all of Michael D. O'Brien's previous best-selling novels - Father Elijah, Eclipse of the Sun, Plague Journal, Strangers and Sojourners - you don't need me to tell you that the Children of the Last Days's, series is more than just wonderfully entertaining fiction. It's also a lens through which our age can be viewed in intriguingly refracted light.

Loosely based on the real lives of a number of native North Americans, A Cry of Stone explores what it means to be poor in spirit. The story begins with this description of Rose Wabos, its heroine: "First she was small. She was very, very small, and that was good because no one could see her."

By contrasting the seemingly insignificant life of this young Ojibwe painter with the sophisticated and often hollow world of wealth and leisure, O'Brien is able to play good and evil one another to compelling effect.

Besides being diminutive, Rose suffers constant pain from a spinal problem. But, because of her Catholic faith, she uses her pain for good and focuses instead on the beauty she sees in the natural world and in the people she meets, and on art that reflects greatness of heart, mind and soul. Much like the "little way!' of St. Thérese of Lisieux, Rose’s simple way enables her to wisely view life in the light of Christ's saving love.

In addition to being an accomplished novelist, O'Brien is himself an artist of note whose paintings and murals can be seen in museums and churches across North America. In fact, since Ignatius wisely chose his beautiful "Creation" for the jacket of A Cry of Stone, readers can enjoy a taste of the author's art.

It is O'Brien's artist's eye that, finally, makes this novel so compelling. In lyrical prose so lovely and sensuous you'll want to read several passages multiple times, he describes scenes, characters and action with a painter's eye for detail.

Here's a tiny taste of O'Brien's descriptive acumen: "In the bottom land, the road swerved around an increasing number of thorn-brakes and hummocks of smooth white stone jutting from under the earth like broken bones. Flocks of small black birds wheeled in unison, broke in midair, for no apparent reason, and scattered, only to rejoin in aerial choreography and settle in the fields, as if on signal. Their little chorus filled the air while meadowlarks, fewer in number, contributed their piercing solitary notes."

The plot might turn on a happy coincidence one or two times too many for some demanding fiction fans, but anyone who enjoys getting lost in the art of a gifted storyteller will enjoy this outing - all 800-plus pages of it. Also, as with all Ignatius books, you get used to seeing commas outside of quote marks quickly enough and after awhile stop. noticing the quirk.

Graceful writing coupled with an absorbing story and multidimensional characters make for an engrossing read no matter who the writer is. To these qualities O'Brien adds theological, philosophical and spiritual depth - all informed by his fierce fidelity to the Catholic faith. For that reason, A Cry of Stone can rightly be called an important Catholic novel.

That's another way of saying the book, like its predecessor volumes in this series, challenges as it entertains. Truly ideal summer-reading fare.



.Ann Applegarth writes firom Roswell, New Mexico.

Reprinted by permission from National Catholic Register. ©2004.




   
















G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was one of the finest Christian authors and apologists of the past two hundred years. Raised as an agnostic, he embraced Christianity as a young man, ultimately entering the Catholic Church in 1922. He wrote hundreds of essays, as well as novels, short stories, poetry, apologetics, literary criticism, and nearly everything else imaginable. Dale Ahlquist, president and co-founder of the American Chesterton Society and author of G.K Chesterton: Apostle of Common Sense, writes, "Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology. His style is unmistakable, always marked by humility, consistency, paradox, wit, and wonder. His writing remains as timely and as timeless today as when it first appeared, even though much of it was published in throw away paper." Read more about the life and work of this remarkable thinker, author, and apologist.



Confessions of an Ex-Feminist
by Lorraine V. Murray


Confessions is the honest and heart-rending account of a woman who was born into a Catholic family, attended parochial schools and fully embraced the beliefs of her faith, but ran into major roadblocks in college. Amidst the radical feminist college environment of the 1960's, she lost her faith, and her morality, jumping aboard the bandwagon of "free love." She indulged in a series of love relationships in college, all of which crashed and burned. Despite the obvious contradiction between feminist teachings and her own experience, Murray still believed she had to free herself from the yoke of tradition. Attaining a doctorate in philosophy, with an emphasis on the feminist writings of Simone de Beauvoir, Murray taught philosophy in college. For many years, she launched a personal vendetta against God and the Catholic Church in the classroom, trying to persuade students that God did not exist, mocking values Catholics hold dear, and touted feminism as the cure for many social ills. When she discovered she was pregnant, Murray followed the route that feminists offer as a solution for unmarried women. Much to her surprise, her abortion was a shattering emotional experience, which she grieved over for years. It was the first tragic chink in her feminist armor.

Read more about Confessions of an Ex-Feminist, or read an excerpt from the book.










 
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